Saṃnyāsa!

Śaṅkara had completed his learning and was now at home leading the quiet and contemplative life of learning and practice. Āryambha looked at the apple of her eyes and something moved within her – was it pride, was it fear, affection? Perhaps a mix of all these things along with a nagging feeling that enveloped and filled her – a feeling that told her that she must treasure this period of quiet and peace because it wouldn’t last for long.

Śaṅkara may have been very young but he was wise beyond his years. He had completed in two years what normally took people twelve to fifteen years – his entire Gurukula-vāsa had gotten over in the blink of an eye. This news had spread far and wide and many people from near and far came to see this boy prodigy, speak with him, and get to know him better.

This may not have been the age of social media or the worldwide web where even the most ordinary news goes viral but as we all know, when an extraordinary phenomenon occurs or when a special person arrives on the world stage, the news does spread and diffuse into the larger population and then it gathers force and spreads like wildfire – so also was it with news of the boy who had shaken the Dharmic ecosystem of the times.

One day, mother and son were visited by three sages. They had come specifically to see the boy who had created such a flutter in the Dharmic ecosystem of the time. As we have seen earlier, the times were difficult for Hindus and their Dharma, and a boy who showed so much promise was seen as a special gift from the gods to the beleaguered Hindus. These sages were named Upamanyu, Dadichi, Gautama, and Agastya. Were they the same ancient sages of yore, or were they those who bore their names as a mark of respect to these ancient beings who had shaped the course of Sanātana Dharma? How does it matter to us? Often, we are led astray by such questions. Suffice to say that these were the names of the sages and they had come there because they had “seen” in their mind’s eye the grand scheme of what this boy had been born to achieve. As soon as they arrived, mother and son invited them inside and offered them seats befitting their age and position. Śaṅkara then prostrated before them and introduced himself as per tradition, offering abhivādaye^[1] and then offering them water for Āchamanam^[2] and Madhuparkam^[3] and then sat down in front of them with folded hands. The sages spoke with the mother and son and then they asked some pointed questions to the child and were delighted at the answers that they received. They blessed him and then indicated that they would want to speak with the mother. As the boy prostrated once again and walked to the next room, Āryambha who was also curious to learn about how her son had been able to complete his Vedic studies in such a short time and if there was something or someone behind his extraordinary knowledge and prowess, requested the sages to reveal to her the future course of Śaṅkara’s life.

The sages started to speak with Āryambha, telling her about the divine purpose for which her son had been born. They also reminded her of Mahādeva’s promise and how it was an aṃśa of Mahādeva himself who had now been born as Śaṅkara and that he would have none as his equal in learning and wisdom. Thereupon, Āryambha asked them about her son’s future and how long he would live. They looked at her with compassionate eyes and then told her that which no mother wants to hear: “Good lady, I am sure you remember the choice your husband Sivaguru made when Mahādeva asked him to choose between a long-lived dull-witted son or a short-lived but brilliant son possessed of transcendental greatness. He chose the latter and your boy Śaṅkara was born because of that choice. Your son is destined to live for 16 years only. However, owing to several reasons, chief of them being the need for your son to complete his great mission on earth, we extend his life by another 16 years and no further. He will live till the age of 32.”

The shock of this revelation was too much for the widow to take. She stood there in front of the sages transfixed in shock and hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She had to hold onto a nearby pillar to stop herself from collapsing to the floor. The sages blessed the boy once again and took their leave. The mother continued to weep and fell to the floor like a lotus stalk that withers under the glare of the hot summer sun.

Śaṅkara, who had heard every word of what the sages had predicted, remained unperturbed. For some time now, he had befriended a shadow that walked and talked with him and slept in the same bed that he slept in – his companion, whose name was mṛtyu (death). The boy was after all an aṃśa of Mahādeva, the supreme master of mṛtyu. He walked up to his stricken mother and spoke thus: “Why are you so worried in anticipation of what is to come? The conditions and the difficulties of this Saṃsāra are well known to you. This life is not easy – like a piece of cloth blown away by a strong wind, this life is fickle and short. Even a fool knows that he is going to die one day. Life in this constant cycle of transmigration is like traveling in a caravanserai – how many bodies have we lived in? How many times have we married and given birth to children? How many wives and how many husbands and how many desires and sorrows in this repeated cycle of birth, death, and birth again? Those who live thinking the world is all there is can never find lasting happiness because happiness lies in transcending the limitations of the world. Everyone born must die but it is possible to liberate oneself from this cycle of Saṃsāra and that is what I want to do. I want to choose the fourth order of life right away – Saṃnyāsa is the Āśrama that most attracts me. I shall become a Saṃnyāsin and liberate myself from this cycle of Saṃsāra.”

Mṛtyunjayam or victory over death is what this young boy of seven was advising his mother about. Even at that tender age, he had the clarity that to defeat death is to first be defeated by it. This is the most fundamental principle – transcendence lies at the shores of the life-after, it doesn’t matter how we get there and by what method, but it requires a complete purge of all that exists in the now. Spiritual awakening begins with this clarity – there is no getting over the reality of physical death – Śaṅkara was clarifying this to his mother and requesting at the age of seven that she allow him to take up Saṃnyāsa!

Āryambha, who had not yet recovered from the predictions of the sages, was overwhelmed with grief and now the fear of losing her only son filled her with dread. She wept loudly and pleaded with him: “My boy, how can you leave me all alone to fend for myself – Don’t you have any compassion towards your mother? How is it that your heart is not moved to pity for your mother in her helpless condition? Your father left me and now you also want to go, who will take care of me? Why can’t you be like other boys, find a good girl, marry, and settle down to the life of a Gṛhastha? Who will do my obsequies when I die?” – So saying, she collapsed onto the floor once again.

Śaṅkara was caught in a dilemma – deep within, he had no desire to lead the life that everyone else thinks is “normal” – he was not cut out for it. He, from a very young age, was constantly seeking to find answers to questions that came to the elderly during the last stage of life or perhaps never did. He looked at the ephemerality of life around him and questioned its very purpose – If we are born only to die, then why are we born at all?

However, he suppressed his real emotions for the time being telling himself that although he had no desire for the life of the householder, he must give his mother some time and then perhaps she would turn around and accept his desire. He also knew with a staggering certainty that he would definitely receive help from the universe that would set the circumstances for fulfilling his deepest desire. They say that when one is firm in his conviction, then the universe conspires to ensure that things fall in place – this is what Śaṅkara was sure would happen in his case as well. He consoled Āryambha and promised her that he would not leave till he received permission from her, and he would wait for that to happen. Āryambha looked deep into his eyes and saw the gentle smile playing on the boy’s face and knew then, that this “relief” was only temporary. She also realized in that moment that although he was her son, he was also not her son – he belonged to the world and that he would fly away from this cage that she was imposing on him, sooner rather than later – for now, however, mother and son smiled at each other both knowing that this moment was going to be short-lived.

Crocodile Ghat

About a year before the above events and soon after Śaṅkara had returned home from the Gurukula, an incident had foretold the events that would unfold later. Āryambha, who used to fetch water everyday from the Pūrṇa river that flowed quietly a few hundred meters behind the agrahāram, had slipped and fallen with the pot of water on her head and had hurt herself in the process. Śaṅkara, who had rushed to his mother’s side, had then prayed to the river goddess, pleading with her to change course, and come closer to the agrahāram so that his mother would not have to walk this far every day. To the amazement of everyone at the agrahāram, in a matter of a few weeks, they saw the river first swerve a little and then gracefully bend and make a slight detour to come closer to the agrahāram! Visitors to Kālady even today can see the bend in the river near what is called the “Muthala Kadavu” or “Crocodile Ghat”

It was here that the next episode of this divine play would play out. Śaṅkara would go to the Pūrṇa everyday to perform his Sandhya and bathe there before the Nitya-kula-devata-puja. On that particular day, the universe decided it was time to set the wheels in motion that would drive this story in a new and epochal direction. Śaṅkara stepped into the waters of the gently flowing river and felt something clamping down on his lower body and then he felt himself being dragged powerfully into the bowels of the river. He looked down and saw a huge Mugger Crocodile hanging onto his body. The boy cried out to his mother who came running to the banks of the river. She saw only Śaṅkara’s head bobbing above the surface of the water and the dark shadow of a gigantic lizard beneath the water’s surface. Śaṅkara called out to Āryambha: “Mother! Please give me permission to take up Saṃnyāsa and I am sure the crocodile will set me free…” Āryambha looked into her son’s eyes and knew that he had won…

To be continued…

Postscript

In chapter-1, the prevailing state of adharma at the time of Śaṅkara-avatāra was discussed and the rationale and need for an avatāra-puruṣa were clarified. In chapter 2 the prelude to Śaṅkara-avatāra and Śaṅkara’s parents were covered and in chapter-3 the promise of the descent was detailed. Chapter-4 was about the victory of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa. Chapter-5 is about Maṇḍana Miśhra and Bhārati’s love for each other and the descent of Śaṅkara. Chapter-6 is about the death of Śaṅkara’s father and the marriage of Maṇḍana Miśhra and Bhārati. Chapter-7 is about the genius of Śaṅkara and how as a five-year-old he composed the Kanakadhārā stōtram.

Go to the links below to read the chapters:

Chapter-1

Chapter-2

Chapter-3

Chapter-4

Chapter-5

Chapter-6

Chapter-7

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[1] Abhivādaye: A respectful introduction that young Hindu boys offer to elders – a practice still followed by some Brahmins among the Hindus, although it is a fast-disappearing practice. It involves stating the names of the sages in one’s lineage, the Pravara, Gotra, the Sutrakaara, the Vedic branch one belongs to, then one’s name and ending with “Bhoh” i.e., salutations.

[2] Āchamanam: a purification ritual that where water is sipped along with mantras. In this specific instance, water is respectfully offered to special guests

[3] Madhuparkam is a ceremonial offering of a special mixture consisting of Dadhi (Curd), Aajya (Ghee) and Madhu (Honey). It is offered as a mark of respect.